Adventurer wanted.

Foreword:
It's been a while since I've been in a mood to rant. If you've never read any of my rantings before you're in for a treat...you should see the one I did about the Zoo when I was 13.
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Why is it so goddamn hard to get people to leave their caves and do things? It's unbelievable how many excuses people give just to keep from doing something active.

"I have to work."
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I understand "you" have work in the morning. Look- we all do. And you know what? It's just work. Is it really going to kill you to be TIRED at work once in a while? It's not like you're you're going in the fucking coal mines.
What kind of life are you living if you wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch some t.v., go to sleep, wash, rinse and repeat? Maybe wandering one of the biggest cities in the world (where MOST of you live) on a random weeknight, followed by 3 hours of sleep, might motivate you to WANT to be awake the next day. Shit, you'll actually have something to talk about with your lame co-workers too.
Dammit people, remember when you went from high school to college and were like, "Wow! This is so much easier! I get to sleep in later, classes have breaks in-between, and they don't take attendance!" Then you went from college to a job and said, "Wow! This is great! I don't have any homework to do, or projects to worry about- there's nothing to think about after I leave work! I can just go home and relax. Plus THEY'RE paying ME!"

"I don't have any money."
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So let's do something that doesn't involve money? I hear there's a great wheel down the road that we can push with a stick.
How do you not have money when you're other #1 excuse is, "I have to work tomorrow."

"I have to study."
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I understand grad school is a bitch, but you've been talking about finals for 2 months now and I know for a FACT you aren't studying every night. (You just wish were instead of procrastinating by reading stupid bulletins like this.)

"My family is in town."
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So bring your mom. We'll get along great.
Look, you and I both know that your parents are going to go back to their hotel by 10:00pm and then you'll be sitting around with your thumb up your ass. Remember when you used to wonder how parents can go to be so early? Or trying to imagine being old and not really ever hanging out with friends any more?
You're well on your way dipshit.

WHEN DID EVERYONE GET SO SOFT?

So I'm trying to find some people that actually ENJOY living, and not just on the weekend. Let me know if you find someone.

And Ron. Move the fuck out here or I'm going to fucking kidnap you. (Plus there's a Denny's one block from my apt.)

The End.

Derek's Crab Shack.

November 3rd to November 6th
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After coming back to LA from NYC I kicked it off with searching for an apartment right off the bat. After 2 days of driving around and seeing really shitty bit studios apartments, and really nice tiny studio apartments, I FINALLY found one that was both nice and NOT shitty.
I was searching all through the Silverlake, Echo Park, Studio City, Culver City, Miracle Mile, Hollywood area...and somehow ended up finding this gem in...Burbank.
Ya' know what though? Burbank is quiet, but it's clean and there is a bunch of stuff around. So I'm pretty happy with where I ended up.
Plus, you can't complain about finding an apartment and signing a lease within 3 days. That's just crazy talk!

The day I signed the lease Chris and I adventured to Lowe's where I bought copious amounts of black and green paint. I figured before I move all my stuff in, I might as well paint the place. (I already had everything I needed to live inside of my huge army-issue-size backpack, the one I had been traveling all over the world/country with).

So here are the "before" pictures that I took, right after I had signed the lease:


That's the living room, the door on the left is the apartment entrance. The window looks straight out to my pool :) It looks really cool when it's lit up at night.


Standing from where that door was, this is looking at the living room from the other side. The doors on the left are my closet, the door in the middle is the bathroom, and the door on the very right edge of the picture is the kitchen/bedroom.
Yeah...um....you'll see ;)


This is the bathroom.


This is a cove that shoots off from the kitchen.
I neglected to take pictures of the kitchen, but basically you walk into it from the living room and have the sink and oven on the left-hand-side, refrigerator on the right-hand-side, and then straight ahead is this nook. I decided it would be a good place to park my bed :)


Well...time to get paintin'!!!


...where the hell do we even start?

The pictures of the finished apartment will be up in the next post, but I'll have you know this:
Chris and I painted the bedroom nook that night, the next morning (bright and early) I started painting the kitchen...and fell off the counter and fucked up my arm.
Like. It wouldn't move...much.
The next day I went to an orthopedic doctor, without health insurance, got some x-rays and he told me to just lay off using it for 4 weeks. As I expected, I had hyper-extended it the way I fell on it (although my sister and her physical trainer colleagues, whom I talked with on the phone, were convinced I either dislocated it, or ripped important tendons and vessels).
It's now just about 2 weeks later and I can move it in most directions, but it's still sore and makes popping noises sometimes.

So yeah. Look forward to the pictures of a fully painted, furnished and decorated apartment...all done with one arm.
(and MUCH MUCH MUCH appreciated help from Steve and Yvette! My T-Rex arm is ever-so-thankful for them helping me move boxes and furniture in :))
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RANDOM PICS THAT GOT UPLOADED


This place is right down the street from me. I think tomorrow Steve and I might go there...hell! It's called Joy Feast!


After 1 week of slaving away at my apartment it was time to work on my next show. When I left, at around 7am, the sky was bad-ass looking. So I took a picture. This is the picture. Yay Burbank!

Severe Tire Damage.

October 4th to October 18th
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So this post is basically the scraps of things that should have been written when I was in LA before NYC.

Two notes of interest that I never wrote about while I was IN Reno-
1) Waitress girl whose name I'll never know. Because I didn't look at her name tag. (She served dinner to my family, and kept hitting on me. My family's friends then proceeded to try and hook me up with her. Perhaps someday I'll meet her again, and we will party hard?)
2) Two of my parent's friends speak fluent Japanese, one of them teaches medical school in Japan during the winter. I thought it was a little strange that upon immediately returned I coincidentally would run into two people that know so much about where I had just been. Typically you don't hear people talk too much about Japan or Japanese culture.

A third note, I suppose, remember the picture of the largest commercial aircraft (A380) that I took? The Chinese and Japanese governments just put a ban on having sex in it...since it has queen size beds in rooms. Hehe...god knows they didn't ban tentacles though...

My flight from Reno to LA was through Virgin Airlines. LET ME TELL YOU. If you EVER have the chance to fly with them, it's completely worth it. I paid $120 to fly direct from JFK to LAX, so their flights are insanely reasonable, something you may want to keep in mind if you are flying from one major city to another.
Their amenities were fucking LIGHT YEARS ahead of every other airline:


Basically you walk onto the airplane and it looks like this. The purple mood lights are pulsating with faint techno music, semi-reminiscent of a Vegas strip-club/diner. (The lights actually change intensity as you fly, to match the time-zones you are moving throughout.)


So this is coach class, which is pretty damn respectable if you compare it to the shitty carpeted seats every other airline uses.


Every coach seat is leather, and has this nifty little remote device.


That glows.


But does NOT control your TV screen, because the TV is touch screen :) Take THAT Jet Blue.


Basically it just pops out of the seat handle and can be used to control the media you are playing, or...


...you can flip it over and it's a keyboard. You can use that to chat with everyone else on the plane :)


I nabbed a brochure from my seat pocket, check out this other cool shit.


So yeah, here's the remote instruction- pretty basic. The chat room really was a good time!


This page explains that the airline personnel don't wander around the cabin with beverage/snack carts. Instead, you pull up the touch screen menu, place your order, and then they bring it to you. So you can order snacks and drinks throughout the flight WHENEVER you want, without waiting for the stupid cart that always rolls into your foot.


Underneath the seats there are USB and AC outlets to power laptops, video games, etc. I literally just plugged my laptop in and went to town (two blogs down is the post that I wrote while I was on the plane). There's also an ethernet connection that will be up and running in a couple months. Internet and AC power on the plane.
Welcome to the future.


And this is the mech-seat you get in 1st class. It fully reclines and does a bunch of other hoity toity shit. I mean, yeah, it looks nice, but coach class is better than most other airline 1st class seats! So...this just seems over the top to me ;) (of course 1st class seats only cost about $50 more too, which is insanely reasonable).
So yup. That was the bitchin' plane ride I had back to LA :)

On another note: Bioshock is one of the greatest games ever.

When I got back into LA one of the first things I did was grab my car from my old parking garage (where I used to live). It's protected by a remote control gate, so I had to follow a car in to get into it and then wait for someone to open it so that I could get out. It just so happened that a cute looking girl was just getting out of her car, so I asked her if she wouldn't mind opening the gate for me.
After she had helped me, and I had left the garage, it dawned on me what the hell I might as well leave her a thank you note. Not something I would typically do, but I guess I had some sass left in me from Japan? So I went back into the garage and left a note with my number on it on her car.
We talked on the phone a couple times, and hung out once. Now that it's several weeks later I think it's safe to assume it's not going to turn into anything.
C'est la vie.

Previous to that, Brenna helped me shave a mohawk onto my head (as seen in the previous post). It was funny, earlier in the day we were at a farmers market and a few people who seemed to recognize her inquired as to if I was her boyfriend. One guy took it as far as to say, "He's cuter than the guy you were here with last time!"
Just...very reminiscent of the old days. I would visit her from across the country (which doesn't seem so far now) and people would ask if we were together, and when we were together a lot of people would tell us how cute we were together...

I can't help but wonder if someday I'll find that again. It's been a long time since I've really cared...long enough that the emotion seems a vague memory...
C'est la vie.

All my stuff that was in storage was in good shape. Good to see that my entire life, packed into a room, hasn't gone anywhere.

I have a new obsession with curry. Thanks Japan.

One of the more important events that transpired during the short stay was a very...interesting...evening spent with Ms. Lesley. We kicked the night off with smoking a hookah at some very chill "joint", attended a sock puppet rendition of "Showgirls," which then transitioned into eating burgers at Astro Burger while dumping Makers Mark in our cups of coke.
Here's the pamphlet for the sock puppet show, it's equally as outrageous as the performance was. Lesley, if you're reading this, that was one of the best randomly planned nights out I've had in a long LONG time :)





A night or two later I went to Universal Studios with Steve and Alyse. It was all decked out for Halloween, definitely one of the cooler things I've ever done in my...life.




The whole park was filled with fog (from fog machines) and there were awesomely creepy costumed people/employees everywhere, scaring the living shit out of anything female. All of the haunted houses were insanely well done...pretty much what you would expect from one of America's largest movie studios...
We kicked the night off by doing a haunted tram tour of the lot. At a point the tram breaks down and you have to walk through the original set/house of "Psycho", and then through the original plane-crash set of the newer "War of the Worlds," complete with zombie airline crews!
Another key point was the toxic waste zone of the park that had military soldiers screaming through bullhorns to watch out for the infected humans...no one listened.
At one point the Geico caveman danced next to me...that was completely unexpected.

While in NYC Halle Berry's main photographer told me I looked like a turkey, and that he wanted to do a shoot with me. I should have taken him up on it.

And last, but not least, this was last month's cover of Spin magazine:

Something caught my eye about the picture, but I couldn't put my finger on it. After a couple seconds I realized...


...the Bucket of Blood Saloon! If you scroll down to my Reno pictures you'll see that I had just went to that place while I was visiting my parents.
It's a small world eh?
A small...Dave Grohl world...

To ponder my despondency...

October 19th to November 2nd
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Last I posted I was on an airplane flying from NYC to LA. BUT. For blogging purposes, there was a gap in my life story that needs to be filled. The following is the filler...of said gap.

Graphical representation of gap:
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Japan................<---old post
Japan to Reno..<---old post
Week in Reno...<---partially posted
Reno to LA.......<---story will be told in future post
Week in LA......<---story will be told in future post
LA to NYC.......<---this post
Month in NYC.<---this post
NYC to LA.......<---story will be told in future post
LA.....................<---story will be told in future post

After I had left Reno (where snowmen were built, and Chesters were played with) to go back to LA, I spent a week catching up with some "old" friends. That week in particular is kind of a blur, but it did involve playing Bioshock with Don and Halo 3 with Steve. And of course everyone I had been keeping in touch with while I was in Japan suddenly disappeared once I was back home...gotta love the LA flakes.


So I spent a little less than a week in LA (as previously established) and then departed to NYC to work on another show with the infamous Zak, and stay with the infamous Emerik.
It would be a time to live in...infamy?


My direct flight to NYC was an almost empty plane, VERY strange for a direct flight across the country.


So I kicked back and enjoyed a whole row to myself, reflecting on previous travels and life experiences.


Because, once again, I was on a plane. Going somewhere.


With a new mohawk under my hat, and a beard on my face.


8 hour later I was back in a very familiar place. Emily & Erik's couch.


It's like time never even passed since the last visit...


But Erik was still overcome with emotions. Very...violent...emotions.


Yup. That's the new doo (that I've had for over a month at the time I'm typing this...)


That's gonna be one ugly kid.


It's like my hair is spiky again...but only in the middle :)


Zak's first reaction said it best, "You look like a default skater from Tony Hawk Pro Skater."


Yeah. Except with some Trucker Jacket flair! Bitches.


Again, I can't go into much detail on the show I was working on- but this is the main control center we had set up for video village.


It was pretty...elaborate.


Derek on a NYC subway.


This was a couple nights into the trip, but Ron and I went out to some bars- this one in particular had $2 beers. The selection was "dark beer" or "light beer." I wish all of life's decisions were that easy.
And full of alcohol.


I might as well mention it now, but I went out almost EVERY single night AND, never slept more than 3 hours a night (except for one) the whole trip I was there.
I'm still not sure how exactly my body was able to handle that...
It was great to see Ron again, I wish he'd move to LA so we could have adventures.


Jenny L.
Ron brought her over one night when we were having a little shin dig. Never met the girl in my life- but anyone with 15 lbs. of dreads for hair and an interest in playing drinking Jenga is a friend in my book.
In the end it turned out that I hung out with her a couple more times, even had a chance to meet her boyfriend (Who lives in Buffalo. You idiot! Get to NYC and be with your awesome girl!). I definitely look forward to hanging out again some day...


Oh man. What a motley crew.
Especially Kristen, the sexiest secretary intern on the interweb ;)


Drinking Jenga. Do I really need to say any more?


Haha, and Jenny....still standing in the corner.


This guy.
I love this guy.


Something metal was going on. I'm not sure what.


Oh. That's what!


Guitar Hero and a toppled Jenga tower, and to think when I was in high school I was afraid of growing up...


This is the part of Manhattan I was working in.


Rumor has it that that building is kind of a big deal.


I think this night we went out to Barcade. A bar...that's full of classic arcade machines. I love that place.
The new face next to mine is Emily's sister. If she didn't have a boyfriend I could totally try and be Emily's bro-in-law. That'd be totally sweet.
Even sweeter- I'd be Erik's bro-in-law-in-law. That's pretty bro-core.


Strike that. THIS is bro-core.


Um...the family genes are...a little...not right.


That's my man. Rock those ladies Erik.


And steal that ho's last name!


Oh no he di--nt!


Yeah. Turned out there was a zombie on the subway. Everyone was pretty calm about it...except Ron. Ron was NOT calm about it. Ron was the OPPOSITE of calm.


Ultimately leading to his death. It's a shame the black guy always has to die first...


Erik shows extreme concern for the garbage train. Stupid waiting. Why can't WE ride the garbage train.


The first other person I've met in my life (since Tristan) that can make an ostrich with their hands. God...Erik/Emily's wedding is going to be sooooo messed up!


This is the building right across from where our office was stationed at. I liked this building :)


We had a nice cobble stone road too!


This was a day they were shooting the "Sex in the City" movie on our street.


Yup. Definitely in NYC.


If you are ever a little soused and trying to find your way home in NYC, I suggest making a stop at the 34th st. station.


There are infrared beans being shot along the top of the train track, and if you wave your arm, or umbrella, or whatever, through the beams- they each play a musical note or sound effect.
So...I basically just kept running up and down the subway platform like a maniac, annoying all the homeless people trying to sleep, as I tried to compose a masterpiece.
And...I was alone.


Here's a plaque explaining the whole piece.


Emily likes to take pictures of me when I'm not looking.


Haha, the pink camera crew dresses in STYLE.


Petros is the only guy on the pink crew. DUDE, this guy can CUT A RUG. You've never seen a white boy pop-n-lock like this guy, it's outrageous.


On this particular night I went to hang out with Jenny and her boy at a bar that plays Sabres games on their tv's. Emerik crashed the scene.


In style.


AND!!!! This is super exciting for me! Stephanie J. from CAZENOVIA even showed up!!! She was in the grade below me back in my hometown, point guard on my sis' basketball team...it's probably been a solid 7 years since I had seen her :) Very very good to see an old face (which hasn't changed at ALL!).
It turns out she lives right in Astoria, near Erik and Emily. It also turned out that Jenny lives near there too. It also turns out that Lesley (who you don't know yet because I haven't blogged that part of my life yet) was recently on the very street in Astoria that Erik and Emily live on. It also turns out Gogol Bordello started in Astoria.
Astoria, it turns out, is THE shit.


And as if Stephanie showing up wasn't enough, so did the FABULOUS Mr. Kai "Magnus"


Kai's third white arm gives the chicken a big thumbs up.


Stephanie starts to realize what kind of mess she got herself into. Nothing a white Russian can't fix.


Ladies and Gentlemen- Troy D.
(D.P. of this show)


I've worked with Troy on every other show I've done but NEVER has it been this...fly?...I'm grasping for words here.


Never has Saturday Night Fever been so perfectly emulated in hip-hop fashion.


Puzo!


I worked with Puzo when I was living in that casino in Temecula. He uh...wasn't wearing a wig during that show. (Yes, that's just a wig.)


The little lady next to him would be KO (Kristen).


She had one of the best quotes ever one night when we were out drinking. Let me lay out the scene for you: So we're at this really really quiet dim bar, lit by candle light only. The only other people in the bar are a young couple in a booth, dressed up assumable from an earlier event. In rolls our belligerent crowd, totally killing any mood the bar might have had, we look around and it dawns on us this might not be the right bar to stop at. On our way out the door KO yells, "Call me when you get a DJ!"
It was beautiful.


Everyone was a rock star this day. (As Puzo wails on his mic boom...)
Oh. Type "Puzo" into Google if the name doesn't sound familiar. That's Puzo's grandfather. Yeah. Good luck trying to fill those shoes buddy ;)


A trapeze set on top of a rooftop that overlooks Manhattan. And you know who just happens to work here? The drummer for Gogol Bordello.


Yeah, he personally told me after asking where I got my Gogol Bordello hoodie from, and how I heard of them. (Pictured above: me with Gogol Bordello hoodie...and Mohican hair.)


He was excited when I told him that I wore that hoodie to the top of Mt. Fuji :)


Rooftop of a different location.


I dunno...just seemed like an interesting place to take pictures of.


Rats with wings.


That's the only thing keeping gravity from beating the elevator.


It's oldness is was not to reassuring...


Unfortunately these are all the pics I have to show for.

This trip was weird. Despite being incredibly sleep deprived and working early hours...this was the first time I've been to NYC and made so many new friends. Or people like Jeff, Jason and Ted, who I had worked with on Runway, seemed to become even better friends.
Of course I had all my friends from college and high school too, who I wish I could live closer to...it's a shame to live so far from my strongest friends.
At the end of the trip I felt like I was surrounded by some sort of alter-life. A life where I could just up and move to NYC and be just as comfortable as I am in LA. Know just as many familiar faces, but also have just as many new faces to keep life interesting.


Being homeless...it was actually a viable option. I didn't vocalize it to many people, mainly just my parents...but I was an inch away from moving back to the East Coast.

That's when you know you had a good trip.